Device for replacing and adjusting coils in field-guns.



J. SMITH. DEVICE FOR REPLACING AND ADJUSTING COILS IN FIELD GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED 050.24. 19m.

1,136,728. Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES I 2 John SmlIh W A TTOR/VEYS IIVI EIVTOR THE NORRIS PETERS60., PHOIU-LITHQ, WASHINGTON] n. u

1. SMITH. DEVICE FOR REPLACING AND ADJUSTING COILS IN FIELD GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.24| I914.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTORIVEVS JOHN SMITH, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR REPLACING AND ADJUSTING COILS IN FIELD-GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1915.

Application filed December 24, 1914. Serial No. 878,955.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN SMITH, a citi- Zenof the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough ofBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented anew and Improved Device for Replacing and Adjusting Coils in Field-Guns,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to means for changing the resilient member in therecoil mech anism of a field gun, also whereby the recoil mechanism maybe tested.

Th object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive devicewhich can be easily and quickly applied to a field gun, which willobviate the present use of blockand-fall with the abutting membersnecessary therefor, and by which device the resetting or adjusting ofthe recoil can be easily and quickly done without in any way using anyof the other field pieces of the battery for abutment or other purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will morefully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fullydescribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,and

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the device; Fig. 2 is a plan viewthereof; Fig. 3 is a detachable member of the device; Fig. 4 shows theapplication of my device to a field gun during the placing of a new coilor during the resetting of the recoil mechanism; and Fig. 5 shows thedevice applied when testing the recoil mechanism.

Referring to the drawing, 6 represents the field gun having a recoilcontrolling mechanism 7. To reset the recoil mechanism or to place a newspring or to refill the recoil mechanism with oil, it is necessaryeither to compress the spring or to move the gun to extreme recoil; andfor this I provide a device consisting of a rectangular frame 8 havingdetachable pegs or standards 9 which support the frame. Said pegs 9 arepreferably made to fit sockets forming part of the frame, and thus makethe frame more stable.

Mounted to rotate in the frame is a drum 10 which is geared to astub-shaft 11 with which a detachable crank 12 is associated and wherebythe drum may be rotated. A pawl 13 is attached to the frame and made toengage the pinion or gear mounted on the stub-shaft 11. The engagementbetween the pawl and gear is maintained by gravity acting on the pawl. Abrake mechanism can be attached to the drum 10 or to the stubshaft 11,as desired.

To strengthen the frame 8 and form an additional bearing for thestub-shaft 11, a bar 1% is provided extending between the front and rearof the frame and parallel to the sides in which the drum and stub-shaftbear. The corners of the sides adjacent the front are provided withhooks 15, similar hooks 15 being attached to the rear of the frameadjacent the corners. The frame 8 is also provided with a transversemember 16 extending between the sockets at the front of the frame. Saidmember is preferably made removable by providing eyelets 17 at the endsthereof through which the front pegs may be freely passed. This member16 is adapted to rest on a trail 27 transversely thereof when my deviceis assembled and applied to the field gun 6. At the rear of the frame 8,substantially in the center thereof, a bar 18 is pivotally mounted. Thelength of said bar is such that when the members 16 rest on the trail,the rod 18 will also engage the trail when placed in a substantiallyvertical position (see Figs. 4 and 5).

To prevent the movement of the device, that is of the frame 8, when apull is applied to the drum 10 a chain or other fiexible member 19 isattached to one of the hooks 15 at the front. Said shaft or flexiblemember is made to pass through a lunette 26 of the trail, then throughthe rear hook 15 which is adjacent the side to which the chain isattached, then through the other hook 15 in the rear, then again throughthe lunette 26, then attached to the other hook 15 at the front. Thischain or flexible memvber will, therefore, bind the device to the endthereof secured to the drum, while the other end carries a suitable hookor attachment whereby it can be attached to a screw 28 threaded into theend of a cylinder 21 for which a threaded opening is provided. The otherend of the cylinder is provided with a flange engaging one end of a coilspring 22, the other end of the coil spring abuts against the rear endof the cradle 23. By Winding the flexible member 20 on the drum 10, thecylinder 21 is pulled into the cradle while compressing the coil spring22.

'VVhen the proper compression is obtained the cradle head 2% can beplaced in position. At this time the cylinder end which is connectedwith the flexible member 20 will pass through the cradle head and engagea bracket 25 of the gun to which it can then be secured. The flexiblemember 20 can then be detached from the cylinder; and if the cylinder isfilled with oil, the gun is ready for operation and my device can thenbe removed by simply detaching the chain 19 from the lunette 26 ofthe'trail 27. The removable parts can then be detached from the frameand the same stored in the supply carriage.

I When it is desired to test or time the recoil, the flexible member 20is made to engage the muzzle of the gun 6 (see Fig. 5) and by pullingthe gun to the extreme recoil position, as shown in Fig. 5, and thendisengaging the pawl 18 from the pinion, the time the gun-piece takes toreturn to its normal position can be measured. The cylinder can berefilled with oil, also, by the aid of my device, as can be easily seen.

It will be noted that by means of my device the recoil mechanism can beeasily and quickly reset, that the coil 22 can be quickly exchanged orthe cylinder filled with oil, and. also the time of recoil measured. Itdoes not require any special abutments or blocking of the wheels of thegun-piece; it eliminates the use of the other field pieces forresetting, as is commonly done, and, consequently, is a great saver oftime, and permits the use of the other field guns while this one towhich the device is appliedis reset.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantage of the construction and operationof. the device shown will be readily understood by those skilled in theart to which the invention pertains; and while I have described theprinciple of operation,

together with the device. which I now consider to be the best embodimentthereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merelyillustrative and that such Copies of this patent may be obtained for arecoil mechanism and a trail, a device for resetting said recoilmechanism comprising a frame, means for supporting said frame over thetrail, abutting members from the frame to the trail, a flexible memberconnecting the front and rear of the frame to the end of the trail, anda winch mechanism on said frame. 7

2. In combination with a field gun having a trail, a device of the classdescribed comprising a frame, removable supports for the frame wherebythe same is supported above the trail, abutting members from the frameto the trail, hooks at the sides adjacent the front and at the rearadjacent the sides of the frame, a flexible member connecting said hooksto the end of the trail, and a winch mechanism on said frame.

3. In combination with a field gun having a trail, a device of the classdescribed comprising a frame, detachable supports for the 4L Incombination with a field gun having a trail, a device of the classdescribed comprising a rectangular frame, removable pegs for said frameadapted to maintain the frame above the trail, abutting members from theframe to the trail, hooks at the sides adjacent the front and at therear adjacent the sides of the frame, said trail having a lunette, aflexible member connected with one end to one of the hooks at the side,then passing through'the lunette, then through a hook atthe rearadjacent the side to which the end is attached, then through the otherrear hook, then back through the lunette to the other side hook wherethe other end of the flexible member is secured, and a winch mechanismon said frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresense of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN SMITH.

Witnesses; I

EDWIN H. CRAMPTON, J. H. MoGonY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. G.

